


Normality

by Bitenomnom



Series: Mathematical Proof [7]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen, Mathematics, Sherlock is never wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-13
Updated: 2012-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:38:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/510920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitenomnom/pseuds/Bitenomnom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well, John, any techniques for error analysis you’ll have learned assume you’ve got normal data. You can’t run about analyzing just any data that way.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Normality

**Author's Note:**

> One of these days I will actually write something featuring someone other than John and Sherlock. ...Maybe.
> 
> Just a short one for today, because I meant to get to bed something like an hour ago. I took the easy way out. In other news, my prof randomly picked j as his subscript of choice tonight, meaning we spent ten or fifteen minutes talking about B_j's, which I can only assume was a suggestion. But since I didn't write about it (because that would be ridiculous, B_j itself isn't actually essential to the problem), I may have to draw something. If I do, I'll post it on Tumblr, so if you wish you can stalk me there. (My URL is toasterfish.) And speaking of porn, thank you guys so much for the support on yesterday's piece. I think I may have to, you know, continue practicing that whole "writing porn" thing. Sometime. >_>

When performing analyses such as the T-test or F-test, it is an obvious but essential requirement that the data you use is normal (rather than, for instance, exponential); otherwise, you will get nonsensical and unusable results.

 

***

 

            “John, you’re looking at it incorrectly.”

            “Don’t _you_ lecture _me_ about _incorrect_. You just told our client—who came in asking you to help her recover her mother’s stolen sculpture, mind you—that her husband is cheating on her with three women at once!”

            “Well, he is,” Sherlock arched an eyebrow. “I wasn’t lying.”

            “Right, well, so you know—and I think you already do, but just can’t be bothered to actually consider it now and again—that that’s completely rude and out of line and normal people _don’t do that._ ”

            “Ah! You see what I’m getting at, then.”

            “What?”

            “About the fact that you’re looking at it incorrectly.”

            John heaved a sigh and buried his face in his left hand. “No, Sherlock, I really don’t.”

            “Well, John, any techniques for error analysis you’ll have learned assume you’ve got _normal_ data. You can’t run about analyzing just any data that way.”

            “Right,” John huffed out a breath, removing his hand from his face, “and you’re not normal.”

            “So naturally, your analysis yields ridiculous results, such as me being wrong.”

            “ _Sherlock—_ ” John tilted his head back in an attempt to alleviate the inevitable headache that came with debating with himself whether he ought to try to argue that Sherlock was, actually, occasionally wrong. Getting him to admit took about as much effort as squeezing an entire pitcher of orange juice from a single orange, but it _was_ proportionately satisfying. John returned his head to a reasonable angle to meet eyes with Sherlock.

            Sherlock was suddenly very still as he looked to John. “Would you prefer I was? Normal, I mean?”

            John didn’t have to think about it, but he pretended to just to watch the way Sherlock’s lower lip curled out slightly and eyebrows lifted upward as part of a silent plea, and then the hint of genuine relief in the smug smile that followed when John said, “Never.”

           

            


End file.
